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Monday, 21 May 2012

Lazy Beauty

I love spending ages playing with my make-up, but I don’t love spending hours grooming myself in general…there are so many other things I’d rather be doing with my time. So with that in mind here are just a few of my tips for lazy beauty. They’re just suggestions for some ways to save time, not definitive suggestions on how to run a “better” beauty regime – I say create your own beauty regime based on whatever makes you happy! Would love to hear if you have any time saving tips too.

eyebrows: I really think the best way to spend less time grooming brows is to leave them be to do their own thing for six to eight weeks, then give then a quick tidy by removing the stray hairs underneath the arch. I wouldn’t recommend ever removing hairs above the arch unless you’re an actual eyebrow pro as it’s so easy to lose the shape. Eyebrows generally grow naturally in the most flattering shape for your face, so I really do believe it’s mostly a case of learning to love them and leave them.

nails: I definitely recommend the nail polish remover pots designed for soaking off fake nails (readily available in most Boots & Superdrug). You can remove nail polish from a nail in about 5s with them, or a bit longer for glitter polishes. I also never cut my nails and only file them, which helps to prevent them from breaking by creating a smooth shape that’s more structurally sound. I find the best time to paint my nails is about an hour before I go to bed, as I can chill out in front of the TV or with a book while I wait for them to dry initially then they fully dry overnight while I sleep, minimising the chances of smudges.

hair: I hardly ever use conditioner – I literally just wash and go! I used to think I needed it after every wash but once I stopped using it I quickly realised that I didn’t actually need it at all. I especially don’t recommend using conditioner on short hair if you like to style it with any volume as conditioner tends to weigh hair down making it more difficult to style. I also only blow dry my hair for a few minutes then leave it to dry naturally so my hair suffers very little heat damage. If I’m feeling particularly energetic I may chuck some texturising product or gel on, but I use a lot less styling product now that my hair’s getting longer.

quick make-up: finally, if I fancy wearing some make-up but I’m in a bit of a rush (usually every day during the week…and admittedly often at the weekends too!) I’ll just chuck on some blush and some eyeshadow while I’m at home then add some lipstick or gloss on the bus and maybe some mascara when I get to work. If I’m really rushed and only have 30s then I’ll just go for some lipgloss. I’m not bothered about going out without any make-up on in terms of self-confidence, but I just have so much it seems like a shame to go out not wearing any!